Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Imagine my surprise when My Highland Spy   was the biggest winner of the night at the BTS Red Carpet Awards. Not only was this a great honor, but the ceremony was held in New Orleans, LA. Bonus! To add to the excitement, I was joined by my husband, son, daughter, sister and cousin. But my son truly made the night memorable. As usual, my wee lad (now 10) was kilted up for the event. When the BTS peeps called my name for Best Historical, I was escorted by a cover model onto the red carpet and then onto the stage. After I accepted the award, the cover model escorted me back to my seat where my waiting son was not happy. As soon as my butt hit the chair, my son leaned over and said, "I'm really mad. Why does that guy have to escort you? That's my place. I'm with you for every signing and event. This is our thing, not his. I'm walking you down the aisle if you win again." Even as I explained that the cover model was escorting everyone to the stage, that did...

Inspiration can come from the oddest of places, and we as authors love when that happens. Whether you're watching a movie or television show, reading a book or magazine, or gazing at pictures of mysterious places, ideas can spark your muse into overdrive. And that's when the creativity flows. One of my books ( To Wed a Wicked Highlander ) was inspired by the following tale of Kenneth MacKenzie.  Kenneth MacKenzie, known as Coinneach Odhar or the Brahan Seer, was a legendary teller of the future in the early 17th century…or so the story goes. Some people have regarded him as a fictional creation of folklorist Alexander MacKenzie, and others have questioned the existence of the Seer at all. Be that as it may, there is a long tradition of claims to be able to foretell the future and about folks who have the “second sight.”  But was the Brahan Seer fact or fiction?  Legend tells the tale that Coinneach fell asleep on a fairy mound (watch out for those ...

The wait is finally over! The second installment of my award-winning Highland Spies series is released tomorrow. I had so much fun with this one. For those of you who loved Declan and Liadan from my Bad Boys of the Highlands series ( X Marks the Scot ,) I think you're going to love the banter between Fagan and Grace in Kilts and Daggers . These two were destined to despise each other, especially since Fagan is a Scot and Grace is English. Here's a little snippet. Kilts, daggers, and men in the throes of battle—that’s what she tried to overlook while standing in the great hall of her brother-in-law’s home. Granted, the kilts and daggers belonged to the Sutherland clan, but she couldn’t understand why her sister hadn’t taken down those dreadful tapestries before her wedding day. Why would someone want to depict the ghastly scene of warriors on the battlefield, especially on such a celebratory occasion? That was not something she would permit on the day of her own ...

On Valentine's Day, Mr. Roberts was kind enough to give the whole family the gift that keeps on giving. The flu . Yep, the entire Roberts clan is down with the sickness. As I sit here curled up with an afghan, hot cup of tea, and box of tissues, I'm gazing out the window at the sub zero temperatures and wondering if this brutal torture will ever come to an end. I live in Pittsburgh, and gloomy winter days are what this time of year is all about. Yeah, well, I'm done with that. Finished. I've had enough. Bring on the sun and my 70 degree weather. My poor dog, Zoe, won't even brave the cold. Once we let her out the front door, she quickly does her business, then bolts around the back of the house to be let back in--all in less than one minute. lol Due to this lovely weather upon us, my kids haven't had school for the past two days. My husband is in construction and hasn't worked for the past two days. And guess what? On top of that and the flu, every...

I'm here to celebrate the first book in my new Highland Spies series, My Highland Spy. Laird Ruairi Sutherland and Lady Ravenna Walsingham were so much fun to write. The Highland Spies series is based around four English sisters and their escapades in the Scottish Highlands. The eldest sister, Ravenna, is a spy for the Crown and her sisters don't know of her extracurricular activities. When Ravenna learns her next assignment is in the Scottish Highlands, she's far from pleased. She's spied on men who’ve conspired against the realm, uncovered a wealthy lord’s machinations in selling secrets to the French, discovered a traitor before he made his escape to the colonies, and now she's asked to masquerade as a governess for some Highland laird’s child. Ruairi is not thrilled to have an Englishwoman show up on his doorstep. The last he needs is the English under his roof teaching his son not to be Scottish. Here's a fun excerpt where Ruairi and Ravenna meet fo...

                                          Photo from Starz We all have it, and it's highly contagious. What is it? Outlander fever. I must confess that I've never read Diana Gabaldon's epic tale nor will I be reading it anytime soon. Now hear me out before you judge because there is a method to my madness. As a Scottish historical romance author, I pretty much make it a point not to read other Scottish authors because I don't want to be influenced by someone else's idea. I want my stories to be fresh and know that the crazy ideas I come up with are my own. But... There was no way on God's green earth that I was going to miss watching the magnificent Scottish countryside, and I sure as heck wasn't going to miss men in kilts speaking Gaelic! Och, I've watched, and I've DVR'd so that I can long for Scotland again and again. I've been watching Outlander  every week wit...

Rain, rain, go away. Seriously, go away. It wasn't too long ago that we were all complaining about the frigid temperatures and the white stuff that refused to leave. I swear that was the longest winter ever. Now we find ourselves blessed (or cursed) with humidity and rain that won't quit. Ugh. I'm a 70 degrees kind of girl. If you can adapt to that kind of weather, more power to you. I guess that's why I hide behind my computer and write...in the air conditioning. I hope you're enjoying your summer. I'm getting pretty excited about the upcoming release of My Highland Spy, the first in my new Highland Spies' series, and I hope you are too. I still sigh when I see that dreamy Jon Paul cover. Here's a little sneak peek of what you can expect in September. * * * London, England, 1609 She had made a deal with the devil, King James to be precise. Lady Ravenna Walsingham silently cursed her liege as she stood huddled against the darkened wall o...

So how much do you love the cover for my new Highland Spies series? I know, right? Oh, yes. I drooled over the artwork for many ungodly hours, especially since the beautiful cover was created for me by my favorite cover artist, Jon Paul Ferrara. I've admired Jon Paul's work for years. My critique partner and I have a standing joke that I know I made it when I have a Jon Paul cover. To show you just how talented this man is... This was the original artwork Jon Paul created for My Highland Spy. Imagine my surprise when I found out the man agreed to create ALL the covers for my new series. Did you hear me squee in elation? Most of the country did. I was also blessed with a cover quote from none other than Hannah Howell. This was really ironic for me because Hannah's Murray brothers were the first romance books that I'd EVER read. No kidding. You could say Hannah is responsible for all the kilted madness within me. I knew Scottish historical romance was the...